a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a resting support for supporting portions of a resting person in a forwards leaning seated position, and to a method of using such a support.
b. Related Art
A travelling passenger, for example on an aircraft, may need to sleep during a long journey. In economy class seating accommodation, a person may be forced to sleep sitting almost upright in a seat. The key distinction of such non-horizontal sleeping is that some body elements are required to support each other, wholly or partially. A number of problems result from this. Additional weight stresses are transmitted through joints and musculature, for example, muscles and the spine transmit most of the weight of the head and arms to the upper torso and thence from the upper torso to the lower torso and thighs. Additional contact pressure is created between some body elements and their supporting surfaces due to transmitted weight from adjacent body elements. For example, the lower torso (hips and buttocks) and thighs carry the extra weight of the upper torso, head and arms which is translated into increased contact pressure between them and the supporting seat base.
Prior art solutions to the problem of resting during a journey mostly involve various contortions adopted by the seated traveller to alleviate the stresses and strains, for example: leaning the head, upper torso, and arms against the seat back and head rests in various ways; leaning the head, upper torso, and arms against the seat arms; leaning the head, upper torso and arms on one's own thighs and knees; or leaning the head and/or shoulders and/or arms on the seat in front or some other support standing on the floor spaced in front of a seated individual. All of these methods involve weight transfer between body elements, caused by counterbalancing the elements of support, for example: upper torso to head; upper torso to arms; upper torso to lower torso, lower torso to seat, etc. This creates associated joint and musculature stresses. Consequently these methods do not provide the benefit of an ideal horizontal sleeping position in which each body portion or element bears only its own weight so that stresses transmitted through joints and musculature are avoided and contact pressure between each body element and its supporting surface (the bed) is minimised.
In particular, none of these methods prevent the upper torso weight, the heaviest individual element of the human body, from bearing down on other body elements: head, arms, lower torso, and thighs and thereby increasing pressure on these body elements and transmitting support stresses through joints and musculature.